Patent Application
20130279069
This application claims priority date of Patent Application No. 1015637.0 (GB) filed 2010 Sep. 20 by the present inventor.
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The capacitor is used to store charge and it can also transmit an alternating current and when transmitting an alternating current a dielectric breakdown voltage has to be reached and then a charge is transmitted through the dielectric material with impedance having components of resistance, inductance and capacitance. This limits its use in transmitting alternating currents. The buffer capacitor as defined by the invention U.S. Pat. No. 7,782,595 has zero resistance and inductance, and apart from storing an electric charge it can transmits a limiting alternating current through it, by controlling the alternating current through it by means of its capacitive reactance and the value of voltage applied to it. However, it also has to reach a dielectric breakdown voltage before it can transmit an alternating current and like all capacitors, it blocks direct current, therefore direct current cannot be transmitted. Blocking a direct current is of course a very useful characteristic of capacitors and is applied to capacitive filtering and decoupling.
The electric transformer is well known. It is used to step-up or step-down alternating voltages and currents. This is possible because the transformer conserves electric power and by manipulating the number of turns of the primary and secondary windings voltages and currents can be stepped-up and stepped-down. These characteristics give it many uses in electronic and electrical circuits. However, the transformer is bulky and has losses in the form of heat, which requires cooling in some form and is a loss of energy.
The resistor and its usage are well known. It is used in AC and DC circuits to reduce voltage across it and current through it to values required in a circuit or load. However, to do this the resistor generates heat, which consumes and wastes energy and if the generated heat is not dissipated by a heat sink and in certain situations additional cooling by the use of a fan, can damage other electronic components, which can lead to circuit failure. Cooling by fan, adds to the complexity of the circuit and increases the energy consumption, thereby increasing further energy losses.
Both the resistor and the transformer cannot limit and control a current independently of the load; these two devices can be overloaded if they are not correctly power-matched to the load. In a situation where the transformer or the resistor is overloaded, will result in heat being generated, which can be severe enough to destroy each device or cause a circuit fire destroying the circuit and can lead to other serious consequences.
Both the buffer capacitor and the transformer when transmitting an alternating electric current conserve power. But if the capacitor, being coupled by the area of contact of the dielectric material between the charging and discharging electrodes, is used to step-up or step-down an alternating voltage by altering the dielectric area of contact between the charging and discharging electrodes, would only result in a capacitance change, due to the relationship of the dielectric material area of contact between the charging and discharging electrodes, hence it cannot be used with that type of coupling to step-up or step-down an alternating voltage. If the coupling of the charging and discharging electrodes of the capacitor can be coupled by the electrostatic field in similar way to the transformer, then by manipulating the areas of the charging and discharging electrode and dielectric materials, a component will result that can control the rate of discharge current and voltage to a load with many other useful functions.
When a conventional capacitor is charged the charge concentrates at the ends of the charging electrode and when it reaches a breakdown voltage the charge is discharged to the ends of the discharging electrode, behaving like a conductor with resistance and inductance, even when each end of the electrode is provided with a closed continuous electrical loop. The continuous electrical loops will prevent some charge concentrations at the ends of the electrode, but eventually all the charge will flow from the ends of such an electrode to the discharging electrode, and again it will behave like a conductor with resistance and inductance.
When a buffer capacitor is charged, the charge is stored in its dielectric material and concentrates as an electrostatic field (associated with corona discharge) around the side edges of the charging electrode because the closed continuous electrical loop has no end electrically. If the side edges of the charging and discharging electrodes are aligned side by side, the electrostatic field from the charging electrode will couple with the discharging electrode and induce a charge into the discharging electrode with an alternating or direct charging current. A charge will be transmitted from the charging electrode to the discharging electrode by the concentrated electrostatic field coupling, without reaching a dielectric breakdown voltage, hence direct or an alternating currents can be transmitted. This is strictly governed by the capacitance of each electrode and the output voltage, controlled by the surface area of the electrodes, enabling such a device to have multi-functions. It will function like transformer, a resistor and be able to limit the current to a load by its capacitive reactance and the applied voltage, minimal or zero power loss.
The present invention is a multifunction charge transfer device comprising a charging and a discharging electrode, both in the form of closed continuous electrical loops as defined by the invention U.S. Pat. No. 7,782,595. The charging and discharging electrodes in the form of closed continuous electrical loops are arranged side by side, so that the edges of the electrical conducting material and the dielectric material of each closed continuous electrical loops are in alignment. The two closed continuous electrical loops are separated by a gap to prevent any electrical contact between them, so that the charging and discharging electrodes can only be coupled by the electrostatic field, concentrated at the side edges of the charging electrode, because the closed continuous electrical loop forming each charging and discharging electrodes have no ends electrically. The charging and discharging electrodes are each provided with a connector as a means for connection to an electric power source and an electric circuit. The assembly of the side by side aligned charging and discharging electrodes are enclosed by an electric conducting material which is insulated from the charging and discharging electrodes by an electric insulating material, ensuring that the electrostatic field in contained.
When the charging electrode is charged by an alternating current or a direct current the charging electrode is charged and an electrostatic field is generated. It is transferred across the gap and a charge is induced into the discharging electrode and instantaneously discharged to the circuit as a current. The voltage and current of the charging and discharging electrodes will be the same, provided the geometry and the dielectric constant of the dielectric material are the same and the surface areas of the charging and discharging electrodes are equal.
When an alternating current being transmitted through the multifunction charge transfer device by the charging and discharging electrodes, the transmitted current I amps is related to the supply voltage Vs volts, the capacitance C farads of each electrode and by the frequency f hertz of the supply voltage and is rigidly governed by the following general equation;
I=2πfCVs amps.
And when a direct current is being transmitted through the multifunction charge transfer device e by the charging and discharging electrodes, the transmitted current I amps is related by the supply voltage Vs volts its capacitance C farads and is rigidly governed by the following equation;
I=CVs/t amps.
The capacitance for DC applications can be calculated by considering the case where the current I is required to generate heat for the AC and DC cases are equal and the voltage Vs is known, then,
I
DC
=I
AC
=CVs/t=2πfCVs, therefore t=1/2πf, where IAC is an rms value.
The capacitance C of the charging and discharging electrodes is given by the general equation,
C=kokA/d,
Where, ko=permittivity of free space, k=the dielectric constant, A=area d electrode and d=dielectric thickness.
In each case of AC or DC supply, the charging and discharging electrodes, the charge Q coulombs being transmitted will be equal, therefore if the charging and discharging electrodes have capacitance Ca and Cb respectively, then in case of the charging and discharging electrodes,
Qa=Qb and therefore CaVs=CbVs
By the manipulation of the surface area dimensions, the dielectric constant of the dielectric materials and or the geometry and the dielectric constant of the dielectric materials of the charging and discharging electrodes. Such that the Qa charging the charging electrode if not equal to the charge Qb discharging from the discharging electrode. Therefore if the charging and discharging electrodes have capacitance Ca and Cb respectively, then in case of the charging and discharging electrodes,
Qa≠Qb and therefore CaVs≠CbVs coulombs
In this case it is the discharging electrode that limits and controls the discharging current and voltage.
With these characteristics the multifunction charge transfer device will have different embodiments and can be used as component to limit and control a current to a load at a constant voltage, to step-up or step-down a voltage and keeping the current constant. It can be used like a resistor to reduce a voltage and current, but with the discharging current and voltage being limited and controlled capacitive and the dimensional area of the discharging electrode respectively. When the charging electrode has a smaller surface area than the discharging electrode, it can be used to achieve unidirectional current flow, when connected to an alternating current power supply.
In all applications, the multifunction charge transfer device is strictly governed by the capacitive reactance and voltage of the discharging electrode, when transmitting an alternating current. And is strictly governed by the capacitance and applied voltage of the discharging electrode when transmitting a direct current. In each case of transmitting alternating or direct current the multifunction charge transfer device power will be conserved. Power in will always be equal to power out and it cannot be overloaded, irrespective of the load, it limits and controls the current to the load provided the load is less than the load capacity of the multifunction charge transfer device.
The invention is explained by use of the following drawings:
a shows in perspective a top view of the arrangement of the charging and discharging electrodes in the form of closed continuous electrical loops.
b shows in perspective a bottom view of the arrangement of the charging and discharging electrodes in the form of closed continuous electrical loops.
From
The assembly of the side by side aligned charging electrode 10a and discharging electrode 10b are enclosed by an electric conducting material (not shown) which is insulated from the charging and discharging electrodes by an electric insulating material (not shown), ensuring that the electrostatic field in contained.
When the multifunction charge transfer device 15 is connected, as in a circuit
When the charging and discharging electrodes 10a and 10b respectively have areas of equal dimensions and the dielectric material 11a and 11b within the charging electrode 10a and discharging electrode 10b the are the same with the same dimensions, then,
Q
10a
=Q
10b, then C10aV16=C10bV16 coulombs.
An equal charge will be transferred from the charging electrode 10a to the discharging electrode 10b and will be discharged as an alternating or direct current at a constant voltage V16 can be transmitted that is rigidly controlled by the capacitance of the discharging electrode 10b. The multifunction charge transfer device 15 as in
When the capacitance C10b of the discharging electrode 10b is less than or more than the capacitance C10a of the charging electrode 10a by reduced dielectric constant k of the dielectric material 11a and or increasing the dielectric material 11a thickness d of the discharging electrode 10b, but keeping the surface area dimensions of the charging electrode 10a and discharging electrode 10b such that the charge in conserved, then,
Q
10a
=Q
10bthen C10aV10a=C10bV10b and C10a/C10b=V10b/V10a.
Then, the multifunction charge transfer device 15, as in
Since the general equation of capacitance C=kokA/d where ko=permittivity of free space, k=the dielectric constant, A=area d electrode and d=dielectric thickness.
When the capacitance C10b of the discharging electrode 10b is less than the capacitance C10a by reduced dielectric constant k of the dielectric material 11a and or increasing the dielectric material 11a thickness d of the discharging electrode 10b, but keeping the surface area dimensions of the charging electrode 10a and discharging electrode 10b equal, the multi-function charge transfer device can be used to step-down a current, with a constant voltage where V10a=V10b, and the discharging electrode 10b limits and control the current to the load 17.
When the surface area dimensions of the charging electrode 10a is greater than the discharging electrode 10b and the capacitance C10a of the charging electrode 10a and the capacitance C10b, of the discharging electrode 10b are such that the voltage across the discharging electrode 11b is stepped-down. The charge Q10a charging the charging electrode 11a will not be equal to charge Q10b, being discharged from the discharging electrode 11b, then,
Q
10a
≠Q
10b and therefore C10aV10a≠C10bV10b coulombs
hence the current being discharged from the discharging electrode 10a will be stepped-down the multifunction charge transfer device 15 as in
When the charging electrode 11a has a smaller surface area than the discharging electrode 11b, it can be used to achieve unidirectional current flow, because when the charging electrode 11a is connected to an alternating current power supply and the charge is transferred to the charging electrode 10b. The discharging electrode 10b will only transmit half cycle of the same polarity for each cycle of the alternating current.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1015637.0 | Sep 2010 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB11/01366 | 9/20/2011 | WO | 00 | 3/18/2013 |
